For example, determine the amount of unevenness in each area of the floor. If the floor is uneven approximately 1/4 inches then you can use a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood. Place it in the uneven area then continue installing the new flooring.

However, if you must remove the vinyl flooring then you can do so in one of two ways. You can pull the vinyl up then remove any remnants of glue or you can use a heat gun. The latter requires softening the adhesive under the vinyl and then removing it.

Choosing the New Flooring

You can go with solid wood flooring which is sold in pre-finished and unfinished. Pre-finished flooring only needs to be installed while unfinished must be sanded after installation. Regardless of the type you choose, you can purchase plank flooring, strip flooring or parquet flooring. The parquet flooring doesn’t look like the usual hardwood floors because its construction involves an adhesive or fastening to keep them in place.

Engineered flooring is constructed using layers of real wood and plastic laminate veneer. However, it’s not laminate flooring because laminate doesn’t contain any wood.

Laminate

This type of flooring is made of fiber core, print layer and coated with melamine resins. However, laminate flooring generally looks like wood or tile.

Stone

Stone flooring, specifically granite and marble, are some popular types of flooring options. Be careful when installing stone, it can cause serious injuries if you drop it on you.

Replacing Vinyl with Vinyl

It’s fine to like the beauty of vinyl flooring so much that you want to replace old vinyl with new vinyl flooring. In fact, there are many varieties to choose from because the different patterns, colors and styles. However, this type of flooring has two basic types: printed and inlaid. Printed vinyl, also called rot vinyl, is produced with colored designs inked directly into the surface of the vinyl which is then coated with a protective wear layer.

Inlaid vinyl flooring is created with an injection of multiple granules. The injection makes a specific pattern into the vinyl. Although it has brighter colors than printed vinyl, it doesn’t offer a variety of patterns or colors.

Before adding plywood or new flooring, remember to consider the impact it may have on appliances or the thresholds. For instance, if you add plywood under the new flooring it may make appliances harder to fit under counters.